


baby, it's a hallmark movie

by spideywhiteys



Series: ShikaNaru Winter Weekend 2020 [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Not Actually Unrequited Love, ShikaNaruChristmasWeekend2020, get ur fix kids it's never happening again lmao, me not writing angst?, mostly cute, other characters mentioned but it's just these two, snowed in together trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28021488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideywhiteys/pseuds/spideywhiteys
Summary: Snowed in, Naruto pines for his best friend."Naruto’s heart feels full and warm like the hot chocolate in his hands. His chest burns and aches like he’s swallowed the sun. This kind of feeling is hard to hide, and usually he doesn’t. He’s always been obvious with his feelings, thoughts and opinions. He’s confessed to others and been confessed to—so it’s not like this would be any different. Except that it feels like it is. It feels like he’s at the beginning of something long and dangerous. Standing at the edge of a vast forest, or at the top of a cliff. Does he enter? Does he plummet?Does he lose Shikamaru if his feelings aren’t reciprocated?"
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: ShikaNaru Winter Weekend 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2052477
Comments: 12
Kudos: 118
Collections: ShikaNaru Weekend 2020





	baby, it's a hallmark movie

**Author's Note:**

> for the ShikaNaru Christmas Weekend Event!
> 
> Day 1 / Friday: snowed in | by the fire

Naruto stomps his feet by the entrance, snow sloughing off his winter boots in clumps. The interior of the cabin is warm, heated by a crackling log fire and the efforts of a rickety space heater. Outside is a blizzard, the snowfall heavy and violent and already piled as high as his waist. Any attempt at shoveling was useless, not with the severity of the wind and chill. 

His teeth chatter as he removes the wet layers from his frozen body, dutifully hanging them up to dry. His parents might not be here, but he’s sure his mother would just  _ know _ if he messed up the floors with soggy clothes. 

“No good?” Shikamaru asks from the sofa — the cushions well-loved and worn, comfortable to sit on but not to rest for a night.

“Yeah. Thanks for the help, Shika.” he replies with a roll of his eyes, rubbing his hands together to try and bring the feeling back to his icy fingers. 

His friend shrugs and turns back to the fire, not a smidge of regret on his face. “I told you to begin with, Naruto. The weather’s too bad,” Shikamaru taps away on his phone. “The others said they’re not even gonna attempt to come up for the next two days. Roads gotta be cleared and we’ll have to shovel when everything settles down. Damn, what a pain.”

Naruto’s parents aren’t  _ exceedingly  _ rich, but they’re well off. Enough that they own a private cabin deep in the mountains —a  _ nice _ cabin, too. One with multiple rooms for multiple guests, with a grand fireplace and a second floor, proper insulation and wifi. (So many they’re rich. Just a little.) Since high school, Naruto and his close friends have spent a week or two of their winter breaks up here, cozy and free. A ski lodge was a short drive off, and every year the movie collection grew a little more. Just last winter they’d all sat outside in the freezing cold and projected  _ The Conjuring  _ onto the side of the cabin. He still recalls the memory of terrified screams echoing in the night, the crackle of the fire, the warmth of bodies crammed together under blankets, shivering and laughing. 

Shikamaru didn’t scare easily. Naruto remembers the other boy pressed against his side, nodding off against his shoulder. He’d smelled of campfire smoke and pine needles, like chocolate and spice. Naruto’s heart had run rampant, a delicate thing trapped under bone and muscle; made of glass and ringing, ringing and ringing.

He kicks off his boots and dashes to the couch. Shikamaru groans when Naruto launches himself on top of him, but doesn’t make any attempt to move. The Nara keeps scrolling through his phone, eyes slightly unfocused. The fire pops, safe behind a wrought-iron grate. The heat spreads throughout the room languidly, and Naruto sighs in relief.

The couch isn’t exactly meant for two people to lay on horizontally, but he bulldozes his way around Shikamaru’s lax body and cuddles him from behind. The other’s thick hair obscures most of his vision.

“Naruto…”

“You’re waaaarm~” He coos in response. Selfish. Grasping at any and every opportunity. Shikamaru is the smartest person Naruto knows, probably the smartest person on this side of the universe. He definitely knows. He definitely knows how Naruto feels, how he grabs at every scrap and moment like a dying man.

(How embarrassing.)

Shikamaru changes trajectory seamlessly, like breathing, “We’re snowed in. You said the food was stocked, right?”

“Yeah. It’ll suck without Chouji, though.” Naruto laughs in Shikamaru’s ear, his chest rumbling. “Ya think between the two of us we can make a sandwich?”

“How different can it be from making instant ramen.” The Nara replies dryly. He lets out a sigh, and Naruto is distracted by the feel of the other’s lungs contracting and expanding under his clingy arms. 

Shikamaru still smells like wood smoke and wilderness. The fire casts a warm glow of orange over his darker skin, deep shadows over his eyes and cheeks and ears. He looks like one of those paintings in a museum. Naruto is pretty shit at academics and has never paid much attention on museum field trips—because he’s not gonna go there in his free time, obviously—but maybe, just maybe, he’d be interested if there were works of art like the one in his arms.

_ I like you. _

The words sit on his tongue. Dangling and holding on by a single thread. It takes everything in him to swallow them down and paste a smile to his lips. Shikamaru doesn’t like him like that. The Nara maintains that romance is tiresome, and the only time he ever expressed interest in a person beyond friendship—it was for a girl. Gaara’s sister, Temari.

Naruto isn’t a girl, and he’s always been tiresome. He’s okay with that, because as obnoxious as he is, he still has friends who put up with him and adore his personality for what it is. Shikamaru gets tired of social activities easily, but he’s never lashed out at Naruto for being  _ too much, _ not since they were kids. 

Sometimes…

(Just sometimes.)

Naruto thinks Shikamaru likes him a little more than the others. It might not be the romance he wants but Naruto treasures that feeling, hoards it away like a secret note from a lover, tucks it against his heart. Being special to Shikamaru is pretty great.

“Two days.” 

Naruto blinks away the sappy expression on his face, glad that Shikamaru is turned away. “Huh?”

Shikamaru pulls forward lazily, slipping out of the cage of Naruto’s arms. He sits up on the couch and turns to glance down at Naruto’s prone form. The shadows on his face are much deeper now that he’s backlit by the fire. His narrow eyes look almost black instead of their usual deep amber—the kind that looks like caramel in direct sunlight, like spun copper-gold, precious stones and otherworldly earth.

He flicks Naruto’s forehead.

“Ow!” The blonde exclaims, more in shock than pain. He clasps his hands over the  _ abused _ flesh. “Hey, what gives?”

“What a drag...stuck here with you for two days.” Shikamaru continues without comment.

“Hey! I’m great company!”

With a grunt, Shikamaru turns to face the fire. The flickering flames cast sunset highlights across his dark skin, white-hot at his smiling mouth. Another fire is lit, this time in Naruto’s chest. Hotter and hotter until he feels like he might combust. Naruto is a social creature by nature, but two days alone with Shikamaru sounds like paradise. He rolls over a little, pressing his smiling face into the couch cushion and tasting cotton.

* * *

The next morning they don’t pull themselves from their respective beds until almost noon. Naruto’s suggestion of bunking together in the living room was shot down in an instant—the couch really is uncomfortable for sleep, and there’s no way Shikamaru was sleeping on blankets spread across the floor when there were perfect good beds. Naruto’s confidence had disappeared when it came to asking the Nara if he wanted to share a room. 

A bed.

Friends at their age didn’t do that, did they? Not when there were other options.

But in the light of day, the excitement comes back tenfold. They move around the kitchen in a manner so domestic it makes Naruto vibrate with giddiness. The scent of coffee and pine fills the air, heavy enough to taste on his tongue. Light shines through wide windows, showing off the deep, sparkling snow surrounding them. Its height is enough to severely hamper their ability to open the door. They might have to drop down from the upstairs balcony.

Later, though. For now, he wants to do something bold and stupid like hug Shikamaru from behind while at the counter. Wants Shikamaru to kiss him against the open fridge door.

The other boy only offers an exhausted glance, squinting against the brightness of Naruto’s enthusiasm, seemingly oblivious. With a yawn, he moves to pass behind the daydreaming Naruto, a guiding hand resting on the blonde’s hip like it’s something natural. 

“Don’t leave the fridge open, idiot.” He whispers into Naruto’s ear, before he slips by completely and makes his way to the toaster.

Naruto stares blankly into the fridge, his grip on the door slack. His mind is very empty. No thoughts, just the subtle breath tickling his ear and the heat of a sleep-warm hand on his hip. 

“AHHHH!” He shrieks belatedly, startling his friend when he sticks his overheating head into the freezer.  _ No, wait, I look like a moron! _ He pulls his head from the freezer with a cough. “Uhhh, I just can’t figure out what to eat.”

Shikamaru stares at him for a long second, blinking lazily. There’s a look on his face that says he  _ kinda _ wants to ask but also  _ kinda _ doesn’t. “Just don’t settle on ramen. It’s too early.”

“It’s never too early for ramen!” Naruto gasps. “What are you eating?”

“Bagel.”

“...we have bagels? What kind?” He lets the fridge door shut and sidles up to Shikamaru’s side. 

“Plain and Everything.” Shikamaru replies, loading the toaster with the latter. “Not much of a variety, but I’m sure the others will bring more.”

“Hm.” Naruto hums absently, picking out his own Everything bagel. 

Shikamaru shoots him a look that’s a little too sharp for Naruto’s morning brain. “You don’t sound excited. What’s wrong with you?”

“Eh? I’m plenty excited! In fact, I was sooooo excited I could barely sleep! That’s why...I’m just tired.”

Dark eyes observe the bob of Naruto’s throat and the azure gaze intent on the bagel. The tips of Naruto’s ears burn red; a deep, obvious rouge against tan skin. Shikamaru pours himself a cup of coffee while he waits for his bagel to finish toasting. He hides a smirk against the ceramic rim, bitter coffee washing over his tongue.

* * *

They spend the day trying to shovel increments of snow away from the walk-way and around the car. There’s nothing to be done about the winding road until a plow takes care of it, so they settle on what they can. It’s exhausting work, because the layers are heavy and prone to getting soaked, and the snow is frigid and relentless. Shikamaru barely has enough energy to complain so Naruto ends up filling in the silence with music from his bluetooth and his own grumbles. 

When they’ve worked up an appetite and the need for a break is overly persistent, they trade in their wet gear and shovels for fresh, warm clothes and a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mugs of hot chocolate dashed with cinnamon warm their icy fingers, frothy at the top with melting marshmallows. 

A movie plays in the background that neither really pays attention to. They talk about past memories and dreams and things they want to do, complain about work and college and people—trade secrets and words they wouldn’t say if others were around. 

Naruto’s heart feels full and warm like the hot chocolate in his hands. His chest burns and aches like he’s swallowed the sun. This kind of feeling is hard to hide, and usually he doesn’t. He’s always been obvious with his feelings, thoughts and opinions. He’s confessed to others and been confessed to—so it’s not like this would be any different. Except that it feels like it is. It feels like he’s at the beginning of something long and dangerous. Standing at the edge of a vast forest, or at the top of a cliff. Does he enter? Does he plummet? 

Does he lose Shikamaru if his feelings aren’t reciprocated?

Naruto is a man of action more than he is a man of words. But this...this feels delicate. He wants to handle it with care. Wants to treasure it until he collapses in on himself and goes out like a dying star.

“Hey,” he says. “Let’s dance.”

Action. Always leading with action. Shikamaru is the smartest man Naruto has ever met and will ever meet.

Shikamaru finishes his hot chocolate. There’s a line of marshmallow foam on his top lip that he licks away. “What? Why?”

“It’ll be fun!” Naruto argues, laughing—always laughing—as he pulls Shikamaru to his feet. It doesn’t take long for him to connect his phone to the bluetooth speakers around the cabin. His holiday playlist flares to life, occupying the air around them.

“Really?” Shikamaru groans as  _ Sleigh Ride _ begins to play.

Naruto flashes a foxy grin, “Could’a been  _ Bieber, _ baby.”

Shikamaru moves like a limp noodle, but he doesn’t pull away. They whirl around under Naruto’s lead, stepping on each other’s feet and looking completely ridiculous. While Naruto is known for being generally wild and embarrassing, Shikamaru wouldn’t be caught dead doing something like this if all their friends were here. That little fact makes Naruto’s smile glow like the moon on a cloudless night.

They sway and dance before the fire, neither particularly good but having fun all the same. Naruto bounces and wriggles, Shikamaru mimics the movements with half as much energy and dips his head to hide the smile pressed to his mouth.

The sky through the windows turns pink and orange, distant trees backlit by the horizon. A canvas of sunset hues spill across the cabin floors, hanging quartz and glass ornaments by the window splash rainbows across their skin. It’s like a scene out of a movie—one of those Hallmark ones that his dad likes to watch and his mom makes fun of. He wants that—well, maybe not all the movie drama, but the happy ending.

Another song plays, this one a little slower...and a little more sultry. The lyrics of  _ Santa Baby _ make Naruto laugh awkwardly, the heat of Shikamaru’s body so close to his own making his ears and cheeks flush. They twist and dance a little more, still uncoordinated. It’s a miracle that Shikamaru hasn’t given up yet—

Naruto is  _ special,  _ isn’t he?

(He has to be.)

He goes for a spin, pulling the lazy man close after—except their feet tangle and Shikamaru’s knee hits the meat of Naruto’s thigh. In the next instant their attempts to recorrect their balance and untangle their legs and feet send them tumbling awkwardly to the ground.

Naruto lands on his back with a wheeze, Shikamaru’s hands slamming out with an unusual amount of reflex to bracket the blonde and prevent him from slamming all his weight into Naruto’s chest. 

The sky and earth meet in their unblinking gazes, the moment hanging for far too long. Their breath mixes between them, the air filling with the heady scent of smoke, chocolate and spice. It’s enough to make Naruto’s head foggy...enough to make him want to throw all his insecurities to the wind and give in to his usual  _ action _ route. 

Shikamaru shifts a little. He’s slotted in between Naruto’s legs, their pose laughably suggestive. Naruto looks at him the way humans look to the gods. 

The Nara swallows. A rainbow of light licks at Naruto’s cheekbone. The fire pops and crackles, wisps of black smoke disappearing into the chimney.

“Sorry, uh, are you okay?”

Naruto nods doppily, a little too happy with their position. “Oh, yeah. I’m great.”

Shikamaru snorts, turning his face to press his laugh into his shoulder. “Yeah, okay.”

They don’t move just yet. Waiting. 

“I’m not good at this kind of thing.” Shikamaru sighs, squeezing his eyes tightly shut for just a moment. “I mean, I can’t help but—ah, why does this have to be so troublesome... You like me, right?”

Naruto is a lot of things. Loud and energetic, manic and quick to laugh. Insecure. Prone to bouts of anger. Quick to forgive. Too trusting, too nice for his own good. Stubborn and annoying—really, he’s heard it all. But this time...this time he needs to be something a little different. He needs to be brave. Because under all that reckless behavior, he’s still just a guy with his heart on his sleeve, afraid to get it broken.

“Yeah,” he hears himself say. “Yeah, I really do.”

It’s hard to make out a blush on Shikamaru’s skin—a pretty shade of brown that doesn’t flush as easily as the sandy tan Naruto sports. But there’s a look on his face, a wavering of his dark eyes—lips that press and move like heartlines, trying to find the right expression to display. 

Shikamaru is embarrassed, and  _ happy. _ Not in a way Naruto has seen before. This is a face that others aren’t privy to. This is a face that means Naruto is  _ special. _

“Then. A date.”

“A date?” Naruto parrots.

Shikamaru’s mouth finally stops warring with itself, settling into a smile that’s almost a smirk. His eyes gleam like soft toffee and waning sunlight. “With me, dummy. Go out with me.”

“YES!” Naruto all but screams, grasping at Shikamaru tightly as if to prevent the other from changing his mind. “Shikamaru, I love you!”

“Ahhh, kinda quick, isn’t it?” Shikamaru groans, letting himself be hugged too tightly. His nose is cool against Naruto’s neck, and his hands find their way into messy blonde locks. 

“No way! I’ve loved you for  _ ages, _ Shika! AGES!” 

The Nara laughs softly, just a few huffs of breath that tickle the sensitive skin between Naruto’s neck and shoulder. “Yeah, I think maybe....me too. Now can we turn off the music? Bieber is playing.”


End file.
